Evidence of meeting #15 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was local.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Richard Mongeau  Acting Executive Director, Cheval Québec, Equestrian Canada
Kristy House  Manager, Welfare and Industry, Equestrian Canada
Marilyn Braun-Pollon  Vice-President, Western Canada and Agri-Business, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Marc-Olivier Girard
Andrew Bishop  Owner, Noggins Corner Farm II Ltd
Catherine St-Georges  Consultant, Marketing, Union des producteurs agricoles
Catherine Lefebvre  Vice-President, Maraîchers L&L Inc.
Ted Hutten  Owner, Hutten Family Farm
Corentin Bialais  Committee Researcher

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Thank you.

I just want to remind members to use the “raise hand” option.

Mr. Maguire.

June 5th, 2020 / 3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

In relation to the issue of the dairy industry and their concerns, I don't think they would have put out the press release that they did if they had had any concerns. They've already had concerns about those particular dates, so I think it's a moot point at this point.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Thank you, Mr. Maguire.

Mr. Blois.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Mr. Chair, could Mr. Barlow repeat his motion? I had some concerns and was willing to propose an amendment about the information that's available. We're dealing with cabinet confidences. This information could be commercially sensitive to our producers, as it relates to our trade relationships and our relationships with agriculture producers.

Could I hear Mr. Barlow's motion one more time to make sure this is included? Again, as someone coming from a riding in Nova Scotia, Kings—Hants, I know the importance of the dairy industry. However, I don't know if this motion, in spirit, does anything to help support or change it, other than just perhaps providing information to the opposition. They can ask for this in the House of Commons and will get the same answers.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Mr. Barlow, would you care to read your motion again?

4 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

Yes, and maybe I can alleviate Mr. Blois' concern. Mr. Drouin and I had a conversation over the last couple of days to add the last line, “That departments tasked with gathering and releasing the following documents do their assessment and vetting as would be done through an access to information request or process.”

Mr. Blois, remember, Parliament is not sitting, so right now we do not have many of the tools that we would have for getting this information. We are trying to find another way to get this information. It's interesting you're concerned about the dairy industry now. This month difference is very significant, and I think it behooves us as parliamentarians to find out why that decision was made. I can still read it if you want.

To Mr. Blois' concern, Mr. Drouin and I have had a conversation over the last couple of days, and adding that line at the end of the motion was to address exactly that.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Mr. Blois, are you okay with that?

4 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Yes, that helps to clarify things. However, again, my concern extends to the fact that we still have tools available for members of the opposition to ask these questions. I would be interested—

4 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

No, we don't. We don't have Order Paper questions. We don't have these things, Mr. Blois, right now. Don't say that we have tools, because we don't. Thanks to the decision that you guys made, we're having to find different ways to get information.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Well, I think the idea of bringing everyone together, 338 members, is inappropriate.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Please raise your hand if you want to speak. It will be a lot simpler.

Are there any other comments?

Mr. MacGregor.

4 p.m.

NDP

Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

To John's comment, the House of Commons is not sitting, but we expressly, in the super-motion that is now governing how we're sitting until September 1, inserted a provision in there that gives the committees that are meeting right now the ability to request the production of papers. That is the tool we created, to Mr. Blois' point.

In asking a question, you sometimes don't get the level of detail you're requesting that's present in a document. That's why the provision in the super-motion passed by the House of Commons now gives standing committees...to order the production of papers. This is an exercise that committees can use. I think it's entirely appropriate to use this avenue.

We don't have the avenue in the House, but committees do, and so this is a power that we're exercising through this motion—to Mr. Barlow's point.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

My apologies, Mr. Chair; I should have raised my hand in the chat.

I look at the rest of the motions that Mr. Barlow has put forth, and I think they're great. I have no problem with them, in terms of that information.

I worry about the fact that this agreement has gone through and what type of relationship it could place our country in with other trading partners, including our dairy sector.

I've made my comment, and I appreciate everyone else's thoughts as well.

4 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Thank you, Mr. Blois.

Seeing no hands raised, I would like to ask the clerk to get a recorded vote on Mr. Barlow's motion.

(Motion negatived: nays 6; yeas 5 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

We will now go to your second motion, Mr. Barlow.

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

2. That given the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food's written response to Mr. Philip Lawrence's question on the cost of the carbon tax to the agriculture industry, in which their analysis and estimates do not reflect the federal backstop, the Committee requests all reports, briefing notes, memorandums, emails and documents related to the federal carbon tax and its cost, directly or indirectly to the agriculture industry, be tabled before August 1, 2020; and that departments tasked with gathering and releasing the following documents do their assessment and vetting as would be done in the access to information process.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Is there any discussion?

Monsieur Perron.

4:05 p.m.

Bloc

Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC

Mr. Chair, I want to move an amendment to the motion.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Go ahead, Mr. Perron.

4:05 p.m.

Bloc

Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC

I move that the motion be amended by adding, before the words “in both official languages,” the following:broken down by province,

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Are there any comments on the amendment?

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Kody Blois Liberal Kings—Hants, NS

Sorry, Mr. Chair; I know I should be raising my hand.

That sounds reasonable to me in terms of trying to break that down by province, certainly, if that information is available. We'll be supporting Mr. Perron.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Thank you, Mr. Blois. I'm going to have to give you extra homework for that. I'm just kidding.

Is there any further discussion on the amendment?

I don't see a hand raised. At this stage, would we want a recorded vote on the amendment?

Mr. Clerk, should we have a vote?

4:05 p.m.

The Clerk

Yes, let's have a vote.

4:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan

Okay. Let's go.

(Amendment agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0)

Now we have to vote on the main motion.

(Motion as amended agreed to: yeas 11; nays 0 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

Now we have your third motion, Mr. Barlow.

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

Thanks, everyone. I'm trying to do this as quickly as possible. I appreciate your patience. I move:

That, with regard to the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the committee send for a copy of all documents with respect to Business Risk Management (BRM) funding, with details on the following: (a) the total number of AgriInvest accounts registered, and percentage that are deposited into and withdrawn from annually, (b) the total amount of dollars in AgriInvest accounts at the high point in the year and the low point of the year for the past ten years and broken down by province, (c) the number of AgriInvest accounts that are currently at $ 0, and currently below $10,000, (d) the number of AgriInvest accounts per year that were fully withdrawn to $ 0 as well as drawn below $10,000, for the last ten years, (e) the number of AgriInvest accounts over $50,000, over $75,000, and over $100,000, (f) the percentage of AgriInvest accounts currently sitting above 50% of the maximum amount allowed to be held in the account, as well as above 75%, broken down by sector, (g) the number of open AgriInvest accounts by sector, and the average account balances within each of those sectors for the last ten years and broken down by province; that the documents be provided to the committee in both official languages by Wednesday, July 1, 2020, provided that the Department does its assessment and vetting in gathering and releasing the documents as it would be done through the access to information process.